A Wondrous Body, Born with Secret Script

"Was it a probe—or perhaps a test?"

Fang Shu accompanied Xiao Lili toward a quiet chamber within the Solitary Gu Hall.

His mind teemed with thoughts as he tried to divine Hall Master Du's intentions just now.

But he swiftly rejected that notion. No, it was neither a probe nor a test. It was a reward!

Helping someone like Xiao Lili—even if he did everything perfectly—was, by Hall Master Du's own account and by Fang Shu's own judgment, a matter of nine deaths and one life.

Otherwise, Xiao Lili's condition would never have dragged on until now. Xiao Hu would have long since resolved it for his daughter.

Failure was only natural; success was the stroke of luck. If this were meant as a test, then that old woman would be far too foolish.

Besides, even if it truly were a test, Fang Shu would soon succeed in climbing the mountain and leave Guling Town behind. Even if Hall Master Du still had benefits to offer, they could not compare to joining an immortal sect.

To set a test over a mere outsider and damage the relationship between master and disciple—perhaps Fang Shu would only find it regrettable, but for Hall Master Du, it was clearly an unnecessary move.

But if he considered it from the angle of a "reward"...

If Xiao Lili succeeded, Fang Shu would gain her gratitude. This woman would owe him an immense debt of gratitude; even offering herself to him would be nothing more than a small thing. It would be like granting her a new life.

And if he failed, Fang Shu would still obtain a fully matured medicinal ginseng, without bearing any karmic burden of avenging this woman. So long as the master and two disciples kept the matter secret, there would not